Former finance director jailed

The former finance director of a discount store has been jailed for 15 months after she stole almost £24,000.

Susan McCaffrey, 56, used the stolen money to live beyond her means and yesterday Bradford Crown Court heard how she spent some of the cash on holidays to Egypt, Turkey and Morocco.

McCaffrey, of Lulworth Crescent, Leeds, had initially worked as an accounts manager for the Price Pounder store on Wharfedale Road, Bradford, but in her final two years of employment she took on the role of finance director with responsibility for banking the till takings and dealing with company chequebooks.

Between June 2012 and July last year McCaffrey stole £23,901 either by taking the money from one of the tills at the store and destroying the paperwork or by writing company cheques to herself.

Judge David Hatton QC was told that the business had subsequently closed and some of its former employees were in court to see McCaffrey jailed.

McCaffrey made admissions about stealing the money when she was interviewed by police and accepted that she had been living beyond her means at the time. The court heard that she had “maxed out” five credit cards to the tune of £4,000 each and had also taken out a £7,000 loan.

McCaffrey pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of theft by employee. Her barrister, Abigail Langford, said McCaffrey’s husband was having problems with alcohol and out of a naive sense of loyalty to her family she believed that continuing to provide the lifestyle they had would in some way assist him with his difficulties.